Mind
The objective for which we have gathered here is to avoid sinking deeper into the vicissitudes of samsara—to learn how to achieve freedom from the cycle of existence, to develop a concern for all sentient beings and to lead them out of samsara, placing all sentient beings in the permanent happiness of complete buddhahood.
Samsara is the constant and never-ending progression through the various possibilities of existence. The force that drives one around among these various forms of existence is karma, but it is the never-ending cycle going through birth and death that is termed samsara.
The term sentient being refers to anything that is endowed with mind. This is something we all have. In Tibetan, we call it sen. In English, we term it mind. It is that which is happy when happiness arises. When suffering arises, it is that which is suffering. It is what is thinking all the thoughts that are floating through our heads every day. This is what is called mind. But mind exhibits no form or color. It is said to be empty. In dharma practice, we look and ask, “Is the mind really there, or is it not? What is it like?” If you look at it and investigate it yourselves, you’ll come to understand something about it.
At no time in the beginningless period, samsara, has mind ever come into being, or been born. At no time in the future in the endlessness of samsara does mind ever terminate. This mind, in a sense, is permanent—lasting. The nature of this mind, that it is empty yet lasting, is something we don’t understand. It’s an aspect of our being that we don’t comprehend. It’s like our eyes on our face that cannot look at our face. Mind not knowing its own nature, knowing itself, constitutes the fundamental ignorance of all sentient beings. It is the ignorance of not seeing one’s own nature. From this ignorance there arises a mental inertia, or stupidity. Ignorance is, by far, the most predominant factor, but this stupidity or mental inertia is also present. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. We don’t know where we’ve been in the past. We don’t know what it’s like to be here right now. Not only do we not know what’s going to happen in our future lives, we can scarcely predict what’s going to happen in the next day or two. We do not know the effects of our actions. We do not know which actions caused us to experience what we’re experiencing now. All this not knowing is ignorance.
To illustrate ignorance by example, consider a room in which there is no light shining—no light entering at all. One cannot see anything in the room. The dark is what ignorance is like—nothing. But, as soon as there is light, the darkness vanishes and one can see the things in the room. This is awareness. This is what the term Buddha means—sangye in Tibetan. The first syllable (san) refers to the complete removal of all ignorance. It is an awakening from sleeplike ignorance. The second syllable (gye) refers to the total development of all knowledge. It’s like seeing everything in the room. Everything is present and perceived immediately. This is enlightenment. Think of Buddha as awakened enlightenment.
Because of this fundamental ignorance—this not knowing mind to be empty, yet mind being empty—the concept of an “I” forms. The idea that we are some thing is very deeply engrained. We constantly think in terms of an “I.” Mind isn’t simply empty; it is also brilliantly clear. This brilliant clarity should not be construed as something like sunlight or moonlight. It refers to the immediacy with which appearances arise in mind, the immediacy with which we see things around us now, the immediacy and clarity with which we can imagine Europe and have pictures of those countries appear to us. All these appearances, because of ignorance and the supposition of an “I,” are regarded as alien, as other.
In the teachings of Buddha, it is said that, after one has cleared away the obscurations and gathered the a qualified lama with complete devotion and respect. When one receives the blessing of the lama in this way, one can realize the Mahamudra.
A third aspect of mind is unimpededness. When a door is closed, the way is blocked. There is nothing to block mind whatsoever—nothing to obstruct mental activity. There is a constant flow of mental activity and through the interaction between the “I” and everything alien to the “I,” this flow of mental activity develops into negative emotions, such as attachment, aversion, and stupidity.
Fundamentally, there is absolutely no difference between buddha mind, or the awakened enlightened mind, and our minds as sentient beings. They are not different minds. The only difference is that we have this ignorance. We are subject to delusions that appear around us. For example, buddha mind can be likened to the sun that is always shining. The mind of sentient beings is likened to a cloudy sky where the light of the sun is obscured.
Because of the similarity between buddha mind and the mind of a sentient being, it is possible through the practice of meditation to clear away these mental obscurations to develop the full and immediate knowledge of enlightenment—and so become buddha and realize the buddha mind. If buddha mind were something different from the mind of sentient beings, then no matter what we did, we couldn’t become enlightened.
If we take a piece of copper ore or silver ore, there is copper or silver in that rock, mixed up with a lot of other things. Through a lot of work, smelting it in a fire and constantly refining it, eventually we’ll obtain pure copper or silver. In the same way, our minds can fulfill the full potential for buddhahood. So, through dharma practice—training and meditation—we can achieve buddhahood. We can realize this potential. If there were no silver or copper in the rock, then no matter how much one refined it, one would never obtain the desired product.
The progress from the sentient being’s mind to buddha mind is not like a physical journey from America to India. It is a progression in which one removes the mental obscurations and the defilements that hide the nature of mind until one realizes it and reaches enlightenment. When one goes from samsara to buddhahood, the knowledge is immediate, unpremeditated—exactly like seeing a mala or rosary that rests in the palm of a hand. It is out of this immediate and accurate knowledge that Buddha taught what has come down to us as the holy dharma.
Mahamudra
Lex Hixon: What is the meaning of Mahamudra?
Kalu Rinpoche: What we call Mahamudra is the mind resting in emptiness without wavering, mind knowing itself.
Is there a way of directly pointing a student to this mind?
Take an individual who has, in previous lives, gathered tremendous accumulations of merit, has cleared away many obscurations, and has very little evil karma. In this life, if he turns out to be of the very highest capability, he can, with little preparation, receive the pointing out instructions for the nature of mind. These pointing-out instructions depend upon the compassion of the lama, or teacher, and on the capability of the individual. For most people, however, it is very important to clear away obscurations and gather accumulations in this life, because they are not at the point where they could see the nature of mind even if it was pointed out. Nor would it be good in this case to try to point out the mind nature to them. There is a definite need for clearing away obscurations and for the accumulations.
In that case, would it be appropriate to point out the nature of mind?
A lama is always very happy to and wishes to point out the nature of mind, because this is the most direct and straightforward method through which a sentient being can realize his own mind nature and so transcend suffering and reach enlightenment. However, without clearing away obscurations and gathering accumulations, the pointing out of mind nature cannot take place.
We read that the direct seeing of mind is a natural state. Is that one way of pointing to it?
The naturalness or lack of contrivance is an aspect of pointing-out instructions.
Can Rinpoche talk more about this highest teaching?
Mahamudra is composed of two words in Tibetan: chagya and chenpo, which means great. The word mudra (cha in Tibetan) means the transcending awareness of emptiness. The term gya in Tibetan means totality. This means that all phenomena are mind—all the appearances and absolutely everything—are not things in themselves, but intrinsically empty. This emptiness does not exclude anything; it is the totality, the nature of all phenomena. Just as the sky, or space, is empty, and yet there is nothing that lies outside of space, this is the idea of what Mahamudra means. It is the root, the fundamental teaching, of the Kagyu school. It is the essence of all the Buddha’s teachings, all the teachings he gave to benefit sentient beings.
In the teachings of Buddha, it is said that, after one has cleared away the obscurations and gathered the accumulations, one should rely on a qualified lama with complete devotion and respect. When one receives the blessing of the lama in this way, one can realize the Mahamudra.
What you say will remain with me through all of my existences.
Thank you very much.
If he is willing to say more, I’d be happy to hear more.
For a person who has tremendous capability and very little obscuration, Mahamudra is very easy, almost straightforward. It comes almost naturally with no difficulty in understanding it. But, for a person with lesser, or moderate, capability, it is extremely difficult to understand. The reason for this is the obscuring effect of unwholesome karma and mental dispositions. Seeing Mahamudra, then, is like trying to see your face with your own eyes.
Transcribed and edited by Jeri Masciocchi.
